Sunday, December 03, 2017

Presence, Number 59, November 2017

Note:

Honoured to be the Focus Poet for this issue. The full text may be accessed in the "Articles/About" section of this blog.


last campout . . .
sandhill cranes call down
the northern lights

Honourable Mention
2017 Robert Spiess Haiku Award


dried curls
of gray reindeer moss
crunch softly
underneath our boots . . .
no other sound, but breath

1st Place
2016 San Francisco Tanka Competition


stone cairns
a faded cap drifts
downriver

1st Place
2015 Harold G. Henderson Contest


tracks of birds
meander through snow . . .
the surgeon
marks her left breast
with a cross

1st Place
2016 British Haiku Society Tanka Awards


on the tundra
caging a winter sky
caribou bones

3rd Place
2014 Hortensia Anderson Awards


bitterns boom
among the rushes . . .
father recites
his favourite poems
from memory


dust clouds
behind the plough
a fuss of gulls

The Right Touch of Sun, Tanka Society of America Members' Anthology 2017

this hagstone
I hold to my eye . . .
suddenly,
another world looks
right through me


animal trails
curve through brush . . .
my wild feet
still yearn to follow
someone home


bluegrass blares
from loud speakers . . .
we get high
on night music
under a banjo moon


Note:

I was honoured to provide the following photographs for this anthology:












Ribbons, Volume 13, Number 3, Fall 2017

I can hear
clouds rustling against
taffeta skies . . .
my senses sharper
since you went away




Note:

This issue also contains a lovely review of my book, Warp and Weft: Tanka Threads (Michelle Brock, Australia). It may be accessed in  the "Books & Reviews" section of this blog.




The Cherita, Book 5, September 2017

Issue: "be amazed"


candied violets

every birthday cake
a celebration

of who we were,
and who we are
becoming


at high tide

the call and response
of water

we are made of this,
but we are also,
other

A Cherita Lighthouse Award

Skylark, Vol. 5, Number 2, Winter 2017

honeysuckle
swathes my doorway . . .
its sweetness
calls to something hungry
that used to live inside


So Much More Than


we walk
under laden boughs
into silence . . .
a place of worship,
this architrave of snow

we make camp
in a dark sky preserve . . .
no stellarium
could rival
this magnitude of light

we become
so much more than
our wounds
lovely are the bruises
of crushed magnolias


Outcasts


the quiet
susurrus of stones
with each wave . . .
a refugee hushes
her frightened baby

silhouettes
of deer splashing
in puddles . . .
the bullied child
never that carefree

a cowbird
lays eggs in the nest
of her host . . .
too many people
feel they don't belong





World Haiku Association, November 2017

158th Monthly Haiga Contest





Stardust Haiku, Issue 11, November 2017

a moonbow
above the waterfall
arrows of geese

Under the Basho, 2017

Personal Best 2017


glassy lake
flocks of snow geese
pull up the moon


1st Place
Autumn Moon Haiku Contest 2017


Modern Haiku


luna moth
unfolding the hidden
part of you


frayed sunflowers . . .
this is the part where
we say goodbye


the sky ripens . . .
snow stars
decorate your sweater


river stories
we always begin
at the end


the pulse
of oncoming storms . . .
our windows flex


Stand-Alone Hokku


snow flurries
the softened edges
of shadows


morning haze . . .
the bright blue flashes
of kestrels


deep forest
mushroom gills filter
rays of light

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 2, Issue 24, December 2017





Daily Haiku, Charlotte Digregorio's Writer's Blog, November 2017

transience . . .
petal by petal
we let go


Winning Haiku, Canada
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational, 2017

Creatrix, Anthology Number 2, 2017

Issues 15 - 35, 2012 - 2016


first crocus
the grey stubble
on his chin

Creatrix Poetry and Haiku Journal, Number 39, December 2017

lantern festival
we come together
in the dark


dark days
we learn to sing
in the key of rain


bone density . . .
the broken stems
of sunflowers


spin cycle . . .
newspapers cartwheel
down the street


charred trees
the horizon wider
today

Brass Bell, December 2017

ice-laden trees
a thousand brass bells
tinkle your name

Atlas Poetica, Number 30, November 2017

Luminosity


cloudberries
float above moss stars . . .
amber beacons
in forest shadows
call us to taste the light

the shimmer
of diamonds on snow
and water . . .
sometimes we take
small gifts for granted

mudlarks . . .
everything we buried
as children
surfaces at last
into the light of day

in her eyes
deep wells of pain . . .
and yet,
glimmers of light
at the bottom

Friday, November 17, 2017

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 2, Issue 23, November 2017

Jane Reichhold Haiga Competition 2017


First Honorable Mention ("extremely close runner-up") - Mixed Media Category





Judge's Comments:

"Silver Linings" is subtle in concept and execution and leaves a lasting impression. Everything about this is in a resonating balance. The embossed silvery effects add elegance to "the things that startle us into flight". Another superb haiga from a modern master.

—Kris (Moon) Kondo







Prune Juice, Issue 23, November 2017

peeling paint
all the backstories
we don't know


last testament
we inherit the bulk
of her shame


hard drive the unexpected crash of his memory bank







Note:

This issue includes the results of the 2017 Jane Reichhold Haiga Competition, in which my work received First Honorable Mention ("extremely close runner-up") from Judge Kris (Moon) Kondo. Please see Failed Haiku, Issue 23, November 2017, for details.


Tanka Society of America - 18th Sanford Goldstein International Tanka Contest, 2017

Honorable Mention


light spills
through a fallstreak hole
onto water . . .
if nothing else,
this will be enough


Judges' Comments:

Finally, we chose "light spills" for its classical beauty and sense of the ethereal in terms of style and theme. A fallstreak hole is a large gap in certain cumulus clouds that occurs when supercooled water droplets meet up with ice crystals; what a sight that relatively rare phenomenon must be for the narrator. She literally sees the light pouring onto a body of water below (water being symbolic in its own right). She also figuratively "sees the light," the hole representing "a break in the clouds" for her (possibly in the form of a much-needed answer or relief from a pressing matter). Perhaps, even more spectacularly, the narrator experiences a breakthrough in terms of a spiritual quest—a glimpse of heaven that, if need be, "will be enough."

—Janet Lynn Davis and James Chessing

(note: there were 650 entries to the contest)


Autumn Moon Haiku Journal - Autumn Moon Haiku Contest 2017

glassy lake
flocks of snow geese
pull up the moon

First Place


Judge's Comments:

Many haiku have been written about the effect of moonlight and the moon's reflection. This haiku is unique and highly poetic in its expression.
—Bruce Ross

Australian Haiku Society, 2017

Spring 2017 AHS Haiga Kukai: Seasonal Entry


homecoming . . .
a bouquet of sky
in an old jar

First Place


Judge's Commentary:

A lovely evocative haiku that links beautifully with the image's soft and hard shapes and also the interesting connection with a bouquet of sky. The feeling of a homecoming is embedded deep within the words and image colours. The soft focus adds a feeling of memory and passing of time. Something new has come from the blending of haiku and image which is the hallmark of a really excellent haiga.
—Ron Moss


Spring 2017 AHS Haiga Kukai: Non-Seasonal Entry


dark matter . . .
we never plan
to be alone


(Note: these haiku were written in response to artwork by Ron Moss)

Scryptic Magazine First Annual Halloween Contest 2017

Judge's Choice - Visual Art


I wear
a different mask
each night
no one but you knows
the monster in me






Judge's Comments:

Each of us have our own idea of "terrifying". For me, it's real-life monsters as I have come to face many in my short twenty-five years. This haiga really hits home for me and as soon as I saw it, I couldn't help but think it deserved an award. First of all, the image is startling. I love that you can't tell exactly what it is... dinosaur, fish, sea monster—it's just unclear, but I think that's what complements the tanka so well. I'm sure we have all met someone who wears a mask and leads you to believe they are someone they aren't. Those are the most terrifying of people. They prey on your vulnerability and wait for the right moment to attack. What takes the horror a step further is that only you know who they really are. All I can say is be careful who you put your trust in... the real-life monsters are the ones that can really hurt you.

—Lori A. Minor


Note:

The art is based on my black-and-white photograph of a bleached fish skull. I inserted a stick into the cavity and held it up to the sky so that the background would be free of distraction.


The following tanka art also appeared in the print issue:





Haiku Canada Review, Vol. 11, Number 2, October 2017

Front Cover - (Watercolour Avocet)





Back Cover


early snow
pumpkins hide
their light

***********************************************************************************

the droop
of mother's smile
mudslide


rooibos
we can almost taste
the sunset


haikutensilences


eclipsenso




Hedgerow Poems, Number 121, Autumn 2017

Print Edition






Thursday, November 09, 2017

Cattails, October 2017

brush strokes
of wings against
blank skies . . .
how can I write
these words to you


pancake ice
on the lake's surface . . .
stepping stones
to some other life,
on some other shore


guitar lick
the dog teaches me
a new one


polliwogs . . .
the ripple effect
of music

World Haiku Association, October 2017

157th Monthly Haiga Contest


VerseWrights, 2017

Haiku Sequence (individual poems previously appeared in Brass Bell)


Sisters

first chemo
a yellow leaf caught
in her hair

day moon
(dis)appearing
sister's thin face

squash blossom
creases form between
her brows

fingerprints
on yellowed recipes
she is here, still

planting a Three Sisters garden we remember you


They Gave Us Life: Celebrating Mothers, Fathers & Others in Haiku, 2017

Editor: Robert Epstein


quaking aspens . . .
we have inherited
mother's hands

(originally published in Modern Haiku, Volume 48.1, Winter-Spring 2017)






The Wonder Code: Discover the Way of Haiku and See the World With New Eyes, 2017

Editor: Scott Mason


cloudless sky
a pelican's pouch
full of light


(originally published in The Heron's Nest, Volume 18, 2016)

Tinywords, Issue 17.2, October 2017

I inhale
and my lungs fill up
with bees
though all hope is lost
there is still this hum


(originally published in Hedgerow Poems, December 2016)

The Cherita, Book 3, August 2017

Issue:  "Find Me"


so many songs

inside the harmonic curve
of my ribcage

there is wind, too,
but it learned the words
from me


my old home

the prairie
redolent with sage

nothing left,
but everything
I have been missing

Stardust Haiku, Issue 10, October 2017

wild rice
our paddles unfold
the clouds

NeverEnding Story, November 2017

Translated into Chinese by Chen-ou Liu


homeless child
spent cherry blossoms
in his hair


First Honourable Mention
2016 Craigleigh Press Haiku Contest


Chen-ou Liu's comments:

The emotionally and visually resonant juxtaposition of "homeless child" and "spent cherry blossoms" successfully creates a sense of poignancy, making readers wonder the fate of this homeless child.

Modern Haiku, Vol. 48.3, Autumn 2017

porch swing
songs where we least
expect them

The Mamba, Issue 4 - Africa Haiku Network, September 2017

open market
we taste the sound
of other languages


sundown
the lion's mane
on fire

On Down the Road, Haiku Society of America, Members' Anthology 2017

the whistle
of a wood duck . . .
her last breath


Honourable Mention
Betty Drevniok Award 2015

Mariposa, Number 37, Autumn/Winter 2017

the silver lake
without reflection
a mirror
that never shows me
what I want to see



Daily Haiku, Charlotte Digregorio's Writer's Blog, November 2017

blue sea glass
a man of war decays
in the sun


Honourable Mention
Lyrical Passion Poetry World Haiku Competition, 2015


Chrysanthemum, Number 22, October 2017

Translated into German






Brass Bell, November 2017

dark cavern
glow-worms where
my sister was


bedridden
my aunt only smiles
at birds


empty apartment
we fold mother's shadow
into boxes

Acorn, Number 39, Fall 2017

dense thicket
the undersong
of a thrush

Friday, October 06, 2017

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, Haiku Invitational, 2017

the pink nose
of a feral rabbit . . .
sakura

Sakura Award, Canada


transience . . .
petal by petal
we let go

Winning Haiku, Canada


Judges: Angelee Deodhar, DeVar Dahl, and Billie Wilson

(more than 1200 entries)

Commentary:

Transience encloses the world without and within each of us. Because we feel more secure when we have a sense of predictability, we develop a great capacity for denying a simple truth: that nothing stays the same. That can be a challenge, but the gentleness of "petal by petal" reminds us that we'll be just fine.





The Cherita, Book 2, July 2017

Issue:  "No Sat Nav...No Map...No Regrets"


looking behind

there is no trace
of you

no footfalls
announce your presence,
but when I close my eyes, you come



rest yourself

the time will come
for fightsongs

when jealous gods come courting,
do not be tempted
to lay your body down



in the old dovecote

throaty coos
of pigeons echo

I call out
your name,
for the first and last time

The Cherita, Book 1, June 2017

Issue:  "Telling a Story:


summersweet

that last memory
of you

among the berries,
with bees singing
in your hair



hello

I thought
you might be lost

take my hand,
we will walk backward
until we become stars

A Cherita Lighthouse Award



World Haiku Review, August 2017

dewfall
the weight of light
on bent grass

Hon. Mention
Neo-Classical Haiku Category


high humidity
a snail shoots love darts
at its mate

Zatsuei Haiku of Merit
Shintai Haiku Category


family dinner
the upside down world
of nuthatches

Zatsuei Haiku of Merit
Shintai Haiku Category


owl-light
our shadows mingle
then separate

Zatsuei Haiku of Merit
Vanguard Haiku Category

Wild Plum, Issue 3:2, Fall & Winter 2017

family circles . . .
a kingfisher stabs
the fat moon


morning frost
every blade of grass
a candle






VerseWrights, 2017

Haiku Sequences (individual poems previously appeared in Brass Bell)


Unfolding

CT scan
will I emerge
a butterfly

folding unfolding the origami of monarch butterflies


Birds

we hover around our mother hummingbirds

sunrise sunflower heads dangling a charm of finches

waxwings again not enough berries for jam

winter bird am I the only one who knows your song





The Heron's Nest, Vol. 19, Number 3, September 2017

rain squall
this rigmarole
of umbrellas

The Cicada's Cry, A Micro-Zine of Haiku Poetry, 2017

The Firefly Special


hints of light
in my darkness
fireflies

Stardust Haiku, Issue 9, September 2017

red kayak . . .
a beluga whale
sings to me

Stardust Haiku, Issue 8, August 2017

snow squall
the roadside cross
without your name

Scryptic - Magazine of Alternative Art, Issue 1.2, September 2017








Ribbons, Volume 13, Number 2, Spring/Summer 2017

on the rooftop
a colony of honeybees . . .
the buzz
among the homeless,
another shelter closing down





NHK World TV, Japan, August 2017

Haiku Masters Online Gallery

Haiku Master of the Week, Video - August 15th




Commentary by Kazuko Nishimura:

In the photo, you can see empty shells abandoned on the beach, yet we can imagine children playing on the beach through the use of the phrase "echoing cries of children". Although the photo seems devoid of life, the haiku adds excitement to the work, filling the audience with the image of a lively summer day. We can also feel nature in the photo, as sand-filled shells allude to waves crashing on the beach. The black frame around the work also seems to add a sense of melancholy, as if it is preparing the audience for the end of summer.


Commentary by Kit Pancoast Nagamura

The delicate ear-shapes of shells half buried in sand works perfectly with the content of the haiku, about the fading echoes of summer. The stillness of the sand, leveled by waves inside the shell hollows, suggests the passing of time, and the possibility that the poem's narrator is referring to summers years gone. Without the photo, the haiku would verge on the simplicity of song lyrics, but combined, the elements are more than the sum of their parts. The words in black, and the photo framed in black (which works visually well with the shell shadows), add a somber note to the work, suggesting a funereal sadness.


(note: NHK holds copyright)



NeverEnding Story, August 2017

Translated into Chinese by Chen-ou Liu


rocky ledge
a wolf with the moon
in its mouth

3rd Place
Irish Haiku Society
7th International Haiku Competition, 2015


Chen-ou Liu's comments:

Combined with the zoom-out technique, the unexpected yet visually powerful last line lifts this imagistic haiku up a notch.


Kokako, Number 27, September 2017

caribou migration here then gone midnight sun


fog hangs in the hollow a nest of owlets


tent city . . .
salamanders scurry
in all directions

Hedgerow Poems, Number 120, Summer 2017

Print Edition




Haigaonline, Vol. 18, Issue 2, Autumn 2017

Water Challenge



Gusts, Number 26, Fall/Winter 2017

whisperings
among long-eared bats
remind me
of all the secrets
that used to be mine


wormholes
in the acorn necklaces
we made . . .
even on dark days,
small points of light


minnows flash
through silver shoals
at dusk . . .
you teach me how
to be a mermaid

Gnarled Oak, Issue 13, September 2017





Frogpond, Vol. 40.2, Spring/Summer 2017

A kind mention of my work in the review of Dust Devils by Randy Brooks:


lilac buds
no one notices
the bruises


Haiku Canada Review, Vol. 10, Number 1, February 2016

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 2, Issue 22, October 2017





Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 2, Issue 21, September 2017





Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 2, Issue 20, August 2017











Dwarf Stars 2017 - The Best Very Short Speculative Poems Published in 2016

our bodies
no more than stardust
we fall
from constellations
and for a moment, shine


Kokako 25, September 2016

Daily Haiku, Charlotte Digregorio's Writer's Blog, September 2017

curling leaves
you turn your face up
to the sun

Hon. Mention
Autumn Haiku Contest, 2015
Japan Information and Culture Centre

Daily Haiku, Charlotte Digregorio's Writer's Blog, August 2017

rusted gate
old lilacs blooming
for no one

Selected Haiku
7th Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum Contest, 2015

Creatrix Poetry and Haiku Journal, Number 38, September 2017

graveyard snow
the call and answer
of chickadees


dandelions . . .
every bee flecked
with light

Brass Bell, October 2017

morning dew
the galaxies between
our toes


fiddleheads
the curled ears
of newborns


snow mounds
the growing roundness
of her belly

Brass Bell, September 2017

a fever of migrating stingrays summer graces


glazed pond
a beaver's tail breaks
the hush


starfish
in your arms
the sea

Blithe Spirit,, Vol. 27, Number 3, August 2017

sakura . . .
my mouth full of stones
at the news


old vineyard . . .
our shadows ripen
between rows


beneath
the merlin's nest,
an ossuary . . .
it all comes
down to this


we lived
above a bake shop
that summer
of bread and tempers
rising through the night

Blithe Spirit, Vol. 27, Number 2, May 2017

dust motes . . .
the worn patches
on his saddle


robinsong . . .
the scent of earth
newly warm


awakening
to find myself grown
out of this skin . . .
will you recognize me
each time I am reborn


acquainted
with the ocean's rhythms
a dolphin
carries me on its back
to my home among stars


Please note that the results of the 2016 British Haiku Society Awards also appear in this issue. Commentaries may be viewed in the British Haiku Society post of April 15, 2017 on this blog.


Tanka Section


tracks of birds
meander through snow . . .
the surgeon
marks her left breast
with a cross

1st Place


impossible
to hold the light
of mercury . . .
your memory
slips away

Runner-up


Haiku Section


harsh winter
squirrels gnaw the tines
of shed antlers

Special Mention

Atlas Poetica, Number 29, August 2017

Individual Cherita:

in our courtyard

the dead snag
has silvered with age

we still hear
faint echoes of birds,
but have forgotten how to sing


you lift me up

from this vantage point
I can see

a parallel universe,
in which the only truth
is mercy


Tanka Sequence:

Reaping

the highway
smothered with ashes . . .
every year,
this debate between
urbanites and farmers

city allotments,
each marked by fencing . . .
when did we start
being afraid of strangers,
being afraid to share

greening . . .
even arctic foxes
build gardens—
with one seed at a time,
could we not feed the world


Individual Tanka:

clouds break
against desert peaks . . .
shards fall
into the open mouths
of thirsty children


beyond
this inner darkness,
snowlight
erases the stains
on my conscience


bullets of crows
on gunmetal nights . . .
a deeper shade
of anguish echoes
in her bones


nothing
but cold comfort
in knowing
that the sea you loved
now spirits you away



Asahi Haikuist Network, September 2017

(first appeared in the September 2016 issue)

blues festival
stray dogs howling
at streetlights



Asahi Haikuist Network, August 2017

blazing sun . . .
a goose shields goslings
with her wings

Akitsu Quarterly, Fall 2017


embers flicker among the oaks scarlet tanagers








Monday, July 31, 2017

The Haiku Foundation Haiga Galleries, 2017

The following galleries showcase 39 award-winning haiku and tanka:


Haiku and Tanka Sketches Gallery



#1

downriver

stone cairns
a faded cap drifts
downriver

1st Place
H.G. Henderson Haiku Contest 2015
Frogpond 38.3 Autumn 2015 

watercolor/digital elements



 #2

light

two deep valleys
in a mountain’s shadow
village children
pleading at day’s end
for one more shaft of light

Certificate of Merit
Japan Poets’ Society 8th Int’l Tanka Festival Competition 2016
Ribbons 12.3 Fall 2016

watercolor/digital elements



 #3 

still

great blue heron
leaning into the mirror
I become still

Front Cover Illustration Contest Winner
The Heron’s Nest 2014
cattails May 2014

digital sketch



 #4 

bones

on the tundra
caging a winter sky
caribou bones

3rd Place
Second Annual “AHA” Awards 2014
cattails May 2014

watercolor/digital elements



 #5

wings

the stillness
of a dragonfly’s wings
first frost

Judge’s Choice
Craigleigh Press Haiku Contest 2016

watercolor/digital elements



 #6 

small

split chrysalis
all the ways we learn
to become small

Museum of Haiku Literature Award
Blithe Spirit 26.1 February 2016

digital sketch



 #7 

curve

the curve
of an avocet’s bill . . .
sickle moon

Editor’s Choice
cattails April 2017

watercolor/digital elements



#8

curling

curling leaves
you turn your face up
to the sun

Honorable Mention
Japan Information and Culture Center
Autumn Haiku Contest 2015

watercolor/digital elements



#9

moth

atlas moth
the places I thought
we’d go

Honorable Mention
Jane Reichhold International Prize
15th Annual ukiaHaiku Festival 2017

digital sketch



#10

symphony

your fingers
played a symphony
in my hair
when I was a cello
and you were the bow

Editor’s Choice
cattails January 2015

watercolor/digital elements



#11

blossoms

gone too soon
sakura blossoms
my old friends

Sakura Award, Canada
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational 2015
Wordless: Haiku Canada – 40 Years of Haiku Anthology 2017

watercolor/digital elements



#12

cupped

in cupped hands
the harvest moon rests
for a moment

1st Place
Bangor Haiku Group
Autumn Moon Contest 2015

digital sketch



#13

wind

out to pasture
only the wind upon
her bent back

Commendation
Romanian Haiku Group
Sharpening the Green Pencil 4th Haiku Contest 2015 

watercolor/digital elements



#14

cranes

last campout . . .
sandhill cranes call down
the northern lights

Honorable Mention
Robert Spiess Memorial Haiku Award Competition 2017
Modern Haiku 48.2 Summer 2017


watercolor/digital elements


Tanka Nature Photography Gallery



#1

rainsong

with rainsong
whispering in my ear
how could I
not have known that
the time had come for leaving

Commended
British Haiku Society Awards 2014/15
Soft Thunder Anthology 2015

photo




#2

swans

mute swans
under a moon bridge . . .
the things
I should have confessed
make no difference now

1st Place
Fleeting Words Tanka Contest 2016
cattails September 2016

macro photo




#3

numbered

each moment
here on earth is numbered . . .
so why not
fly too close to the moon,
and hang our hats on stars

1st Place
Mandy’s Pages Annual Tanka Contest 2016

photo




#4

cursive

migrating geese
writing cursive letters
across the sky . . .
I finally read between
the white of your lies

Runner-up
British Haiku Society Awards 2014/15
Soft Thunder Anthology 2015

macro photo




#5

smile

they called us
to collect her things . . .
not knowing
what to do with her teeth,
we left her smile in the trash

Honorable Mention
World Tanka Competition 2013
Lyrical Passion Poetry 2013

photo




#6

miracles

wishing seeds
cartwheel through warm air
how quiet
this fleeting moment
this belief in miracles

2nd Honorable Mention
Fleeting Words Tanka Contest 2015
cattails September 2015

macro photo




#7

softly

dried curls
of gray reindeer moss
crunch softly
underneath our boots . . .
no other sound, but breath

1st Place (tie)
San Francisco Int’l Competition 2016
Mariposa 36 Spring/Summer 2017

macro photo




#8

meander

tracks of birds
meander through snow . . .
the surgeon
marks her left breast
with a cross

1st Place
British Haiku Society Awards 2016
Blithe Spirit 27.2 May 2017

macro photo




 #9

nesting

gulls nesting
on the cottage roof . . .
fallen feathers
sprouting from my boots
today, my feet have wings

Honorable Mention
Undertow Tanka Review Annual Tanka Contest 2015
Undertow Tanka Review September 2015

photo




#10

mercury

impossible
to hold the light
of mercury . . .
your memory
slips away

Runner-up
British Haiku Society Awards 2016
Blithe Spirit 27.2 May 2017

macro photo




#11

mythology

fallen leaves
in uncured cement . . .
we imprint
our own mythology
upon each other’s lives

Short-listed
Eucalypt Distinctive Scribblings Award 2016
Eucalypt 21 December 2016

macro photo




#12

ache

the dry ache
of a long goodbye . . .
how do we
reach the other side
with the bridge washed out

Editor’s Choice
cattails January 2016

photo




Haiku Mixed Media Gallery



#1

broken

broken eggs
in the chicken coop
I find your note

2nd Place
Penumbra Haiku Competition 2017
Seven Hills Review 22 2017

photo/digital elements



#2

breath

the whistle
of a wood duck . . .
her last breath

Honorable Mention
Betty Drevniok Award 2015
On Down the Road, Haiku Society of America 2017 Members' Anthology

watercolor/digital elements



#3

mindscapes

mindscapes
the childhood pets
i never had

Honorable Mention, Mixed Media Category
Jane Reichhold Memorial Haiga Competition 2016
Failed Haiku 11 November 2016

layered sketch and photo/digital elements



#4

wolf

rocky ledge
a wolf with the moon
in its mouth

3rd Place (tie)
Irish Haiku Society 7th Int’l Haiku Competition 2015
Wordless: Haiku Canada - 40 Years of Haiku Anthology 2017

photo/digital elements



#5

flowering

stark branches
the first flowering
of snowflakes

Award of Excellence, WHAC8
World Haiku Association Commemorative Haiga Contest 2015
World Haiku 12 2016

watercolor/digital elements



#6

shine

fireflies
so many reasons
to shine

Honorable Mention, Shintai Category
World Haiku Review June 2016

layered photos/digital elements



#7

between

fog weaving
between fence posts
a coyote’s song

Honorable Mention
Griffin-Farlow Haiku Award 2015
Pinesong 52 2016

photo/digital elements



#8

tines

harsh winter
squirrels gnaw the tines
of shed antlers

Special Mention
British Haiku Society Awards 2016
Blithe Spirit 27.2 May 2017

photo/digital elements



#9

moonlight

weathered barn
the silence of cobwebs
in moonlight

Honorable Mention
European Haiku Society Prize 2016

photo/digital elements



#10

circles

painted ponies
going around in circles
we find ourselves

Honorable Mention, Mixed Media Category
Jane Reichhold Memorial Haiga Competition 2016
Failed Haiku 11 November 2016

photo/digital elements



#11

rusted

rusted bucket
cherry blossoms patch
every hole

2nd Place
Bulgarian Haiku Union
2nd Int’l Haiku “Cherry Blossom” Contest 2016

layered photos/digital elements



#12

silence

lavender
we pack her clothes
in silence

Selected Haiku
Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum
English Haiku Contest 2016

watercolor/digital elements



#13

night

fog deepens
the sound of rabbits
nibbling night

Grand Prize
World Haiku Competition 2016
Lyrical Passion Poetry 2016

photo/digital elements